In 2013 Cleveland Public Theatre launched Teatro Público de Cleveland, a local Latino theatre company. The ensemble was founded through a series of free public workshops, open to community and presented in partnership with Cleveland’s Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center. The purpose of this theatre ensemble is to share the rich diversity and perspectives of the Latino-Cleveland culture to fulfill CPT’s core mission: to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through groundbreaking performances and life-changing education programs.

The founding of Teatro Público de Cleveland was supported by the Cleveland Foundation’s Engaging the Future Program. The Cleveland Foundation also helped CPT establish an innovation capital fund, which is providing significant support for Teatro Público and other efforts to engage the rich diversity of Cleveland through theatre.

ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE

Initiated by award-winning, nationally-acclaimed director Raymond Bobgan, Teatro Público de Cleveland plays have a distinctive quality. Many Teatro Público productions are developed through CPT’s unique play creation and ensemble building techniques, which give voice to the participants’ stories, dreams, and creativity, and result in a strong sense of ownership of the culminating performance. These play creation techniques have been developed over years of work with professional actors, adults in recovery, youth, and community groups. Teatro Público is managed by Faye Hargate.

Teatro Público’s shorter works, Los Cabazudos, Yo Sueno of Home, Vuelo del Ocean, A Dream of Estrella del Norte, Mi Nombre Es, and Mariel’s List, have been featured at CPT’s annual Pandemonium fundraiser, and Station Hope, a social justice-based neighborhood event, serving thousands of audience members from across Northeast Ohio.

In March of 2015, Teatro Público produced the US Premiere of Mi Muñequita by Gabriel Calderón. This was the company’s first all-Spanish language production. The following year, Teatro Público premiered another work by Calderón, Uz, El Pueblo.

Following the success of Fabio Rubiano Orjuela’s Labio de Liebre (The Lip of the Hare) in April 2017, Teatro Público performed their fourth Spanish language production in February 2018: En el Tiempo de las Mariposas (In the Time of the Butterflies) by Caridad Svich based on the novel by Julia Alvarez,* in Spanish with English subtitles, which was made possible with the support of The City of Cleveland’s Cable Television Minority Arts and Education Fund.

“Our community came out and we loved it. Sharing together and connecting to the wider community was amazing. Everyone was looking around saying—wow, I can’t believe this hasn’t happened before!”

-Blanca Salva, founding member of Teatro Público and Executive Assistant for Cleveland City Councilman Matt Zone of Ward 15

DIVERSITY

Teatro Público is an ensemble of actors and creators with a broad range of experience, from amateur to professionally trained artists. A majority of members can trace heritage to Puerto Rico, and there is representation from other countries of origin: Mexico, Uruguay, Guatemala, Peru, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Cuba, as well as diverse educational and economic backgrounds. Plays are performed in a mixture of Spanish and English.

“Teatro Público is helping us to forge a Cleveland Latino identity. Its impact goes well beyond the walls of the theatre to support community change and growth, socially and economically.”

-Jason Estremera, President, Young Latino Network

DEEP IMPACT

In the creative process, participants engage in storytelling workshops expressing their stories, family memories, and legends from native countries. Through this authentic collaboration, CPT artists and community members create an original play. The impact on the ensemble of artists has been immense.

“It changed my personality. It’s a very big freedom for me and takes me out of my normal element. I really feel like [Teatro Público] is part of who I am now.”

“When the Uruguayan economy collapsed, I came to the US. I felt totally excluded from the arts community. I thought I could never be an artist here. When I came to Teatro Público I felt like I was eighteen again, and I realized I can contribute as an artist in this country!”

-Dante Larzabal, founding member and landscaper who moved to Cleveland in 2006

COMMITMENT & FUTURE

Teatro Público de Cleveland is a core program of CPT, born from a significant investment of Cleveland Public Theatre and support from the Cleveland Foundation’s Engaging the Future Program. Teatro Público de Cleveland is an integral part of CPT’s 2018/2019 season, which will include the presentation of a series of original plays, as well as their fifth spring production, performed in Spanish with English subtitles.

“I’m blessed to be in [Teatro Público]. I never thought in a million years I’d actually do something this big. We are just scratching the surface. Hopefully, this is something that will continue for years.”